Fairness and Equity - lesson learned from an 8 year old

 The house was bustling at 7 a.m. All kids were up and doing the routine of getting ready for school. Mom and Dad in their usual manner were running as well and having hit the snooze button a time too many were a little rushed. In typical child manner, at least at our home, the kids at the last minute decided they wanted to pack a lunch. I gave a staunch 'NO' answer as I didn't want to go through the hassle or time to deal with packing sandwiches, snacks, drinks, extra snacks, etc.

After a few minutes our oldest, who is twelve, decided she wanted to fix her a lunch for the day. Unfortunately here is the moment I as the dad made a pivotal mistake. Rather than facing this head on with a resounding confident 'NO' as I had with the eight-year-old I caved and had a major lapse in judgement. My answer was 'OK' rather than arguing with the twelve-year-old. This was the beginning of a very rough few moments in the Tanner home.

Within five minutes I hear my wife calling my name and not in a pleasant 'I love you' tone. It was the tone of 'what did you do'. I cringed. I responded with the appropriate 'yes' response and immediately saw the eight-year-old looking sheepishly in our bedroom door frame with my wife in tow behind. 'Did you tell the girls they couldn't have a packed lunch?' I immediately knew the error in my actions. I said that I had and she reiterated to me that I could not allow one without allowing all three to pack lunches. I quickly packed the other two a lunch without argument. I knew I was in the crosshair and there was no debating or changing the mind of my wife or the eight-year-old.

As I left for work with my tail tucked neatly beneath me, I began to think about my actions and the requisite HR analogy. I have dealt and still deal with employees that have this same issue of fairness and equity on the job. If I allow 'Jane' to do something I can't tell 'Susie' she can't do the same thing, especially if their scenarios are similar. This leads to a very tenuous term.... favoritism and can lead down the rabbit hole of other riotous terms (sexism, discrimination, racism, prejudice).

The simple terms of fairness and equity can be related to my school morning analogy. Allowing one person an action while telling another they can't perform the same action with no documentation or rationale other than a 'no' is not a defensible response. It leads to feelings of 'less than' and in our current litigious environment unfounded feelings of 'less than' lead to employee relations issues and possible lawyer interactions. 

I was attempting to take the path of least resistance with my eldest child rather than reiterating my initial response of 'NO'. Supervisors often have this same response. It's easier to cave to those employees who are persistent rather than stand by an initial decision. Most of us would rather defer confrontation and go the path of least resistance. Making a decision and allowing exceptions is a caustic action that lowers employee morale and team cohesion, especially when the exception is just to avoid conflict.

It was easy to tell my small eight-year-old NO and tell my older more mature and questioning twelve-year-old YES, but the ensuing feeling of unfairness and inequity were not worth the trouble. Supervisors and HR professionals who listen before making snap decisions can avoid similar issues and can learn quite a bit from the 8-year-olds in our life.

jamie

Making Room

We were diligently planning a training event at the office. We had partnered with another agency to bring a great training to our local community and the classes were soon booked to capacity. We had a couple of individuals inquire about the classes and to my dismay I told them that the classes were full, but we would let them know should there be an opening available.

After a few days I began thinking that we could accommodate these individuals. I stated out loud that we could 'make room' for them. At that moment I began to think about that phrase and how it completely sums up the idea of 'Inclusion'. 

Inclusion defined is simply 'the action or state of including or of being included within a group or structure.' In essence 'Making Room'! When I 'make room' for a person or idea it doesn't mean that I accept or make any judgement. It simply means I respect that person enough to include them in whatever they have been excluded from previously. Typically we think of inclusion in reference to discrimination in some form. Ultimately allowing inclusion does seem to negate overt discrimination.

What can happen when we include is that we give a small opening for that person to feel welcome and appreciated. In doing so we allow a part of ourselves to the idea of 'what if'. ... What would happen if that person were fully included and appreciated and their views and values respected. Notice I didn't say that inclusion meant agreement. I  don't have to always agree with everyone in my circle to appreciate and value their diversity. 

We all come from different places, socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnic backgrounds, psychological filters. We can all view the same scene and get vastly different interpretations and each has their own merit. Where we run into problems is the idea that my view is the best or only view with merit.

As the political climate keeps rising and our level of overall civility decreases I think we should pause and reflect on how we are treating others. Are we 'making room' for them to express their personal views in a way that we respect our differences and still give room for the idea that we are all similar in many ways and ultimately our differences have equal merit. I want to 'make room' how about you?

jamie

The Virtual Hostile Work Environment

There is something to be said for perceived anonymity. I have seen people who are Dr. Jekyll quickly turn into Mr. Hyde with the stroke of a keyboard. It is as if the computer screen gives them permission to switch off their filters and the ability to think before they 'speak'. The Id takes over and all the Superego has left the building. It's as if email and social media have given rise to a new weapon of mass destruction... the keyboard!

Social Media has become a new place where employees feel that they can bash their co-worker, supervisor and organization without reprecussions. All of their pent up frustration throughout the day is bottled until they get to a computer or smart device where they can erupt. Often they don't wait until they are off the clock and there will be a post, blog, snap, or tweet filled with their frustration.

How is it handled? Over the last few years not too well. Organizations have tried terminating employment as one method of eliminating these employees. Historically this does not seem to be an effective way of handling these individuals as many of these terminations have led to rehire or monetary values in court.

One radical resolution I would like to propose would be to turn that 'bad' review of people and organizations back on the author. How different would it be if we took these outbursts as attention seeking behavior and we gave positive attention to this information. Let it begin conversation. Take their concerns seriously and begin dialogue. How different would it be if these disengaged employees felt heard. How different would their response be if instead of feeling attacked the organization takes this as feedback and responds to it as if a customer were responding negatively to their goods or services. What would happen if we treated our employees like we do our students.

When thinking about civility in our company, social media is another avenue of communication. It's often a gateway when an employee doesn't feel heard or valued. We can utilize social media as a litmus test for engagement. Let's take Mr. Hyde's concerns and bring Dr. Jekyll to the table for radical conversation to re-engage these employees.

Jamie Tanner

DEI is an action verb!

Sitting in a meeting like any other I was training a department on an aspect of our Performance Management System. As usual I was trying to give practical application and examples that could help in understanding the system and the reason for the changes we were making to the previous legacy system. After the main training was complete, I was going over some ancillary material and the Department Chair referenced a course she was teaching and how she could use some of the resources for her class.

I immediately referenced a project that I had been privileged to be a part of, 'Creating Inclusive Communities', through my professional organization, CUPA-HR. After showing her the resources and  a couple of the testimonial videos, I also showed her the items related to usage as training and the conversation starters. I further showed her some of the resources that we were shown going into the project from both RISD, Rhode Island School of Design, and Swathmore College. 

I was amazed at her response. It was as if I was giving her a resource that she had so desperately been searching. After a great conversation on Diversity, I ended our session and sent her the resources electronically for her use.

After some thought about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) I realized I viewed it in a different light than before, as well as the work we did with the Creating Inclusive Communities project. DEI isn't about an initiative, fad, project or strategic plan. It's an ethical value. It's a way of thinking.

DEI is change at a core level. To fully grasp an appreciation for DEI one has to harness humanity and the meaning of humanity for themselves and others. It's breaking down the societal belief that one group is less than and another group is better than. It's infusion of cultural appreciation in such a way that verbiage becomes action. Administrators don't have to discuss DEI. They simply infuse the principals of cultural relativism and personal civility into each policy, procedure and decision.

A true understanding of DEI doesn't lead to conversation... It leads to action!

jamie 

Change Your Mindset and Blow Up Your HR Practices!

Peter Cappelli opened this year's CUPA-HR Symposium with a big bang! His article last year in the Harvard Business Review created quite a stir in the HR world and rather than getting upset and blowing it off as someone who doesn't know HR the CUPA-HR folks charged Dr. Cappelli with the notion that if we 'blow up HR' then 'WHAT!' How do we fix it? What can we do?

Dr. Cappelli's two hour interactive session gave plenty of feedback and fodder for these questions. I came away feeling a little burnt arount the edges but not so destroyed that I hung my head. I felt invigorated with the ideas and notions that he proposed. You cannot deny that he has done his research and unfortunately he DOES know Human Resources, but thankfully he gave lots of ideas on how to turn our business models around.

I'll go through some of my personal takeaways and challenge my CUPA-HR colleagues, who were there, to add to the list. Dr. Cappelli noted that Control = Influence. As an extension of this idea he stated that "HR is responsible for encouraging manager to behave in certain ways without the authority to make them do it." So we end up becoming beggars rather than leaders. We plead with employees to do their job. My take on that is that often if an employee doesn't follow through the onus is then on HR because we didn't follow through and make sure whatever task needed to be completed was done. Dr. Cappelli stated that the problem with HR's popularity is that we are trying to make people behave and they don't like to be told what to do. I would definitely agree that is the premise of probably 80% of the HR offices that were present in the session.

Dr. Cappelli noted that we need to raise our influence by stop taking on tasks where we have responsibility but no real authority to enforce. This is definitely going to be lodged in my brain for a while, whenever HR is given a task I will be asking myself who has authority in that task. If HR doesn't, then I will be asking more probing questions and talk to that particular authority figure. It definitely will lead to more conversation starters in my opinion.

Performance Appraisals were one area that Dr. Cappelli felt were antiquated and were in need of overhaul for the majority of organizations. He noted that there are some very innovative companies changing the concept and that their methods are gaining in popularity. He noted that Performance Management should be about continual engagement and not about a yearly review given scores, rankings and tied to any form of salary increase or structure. WHOAH!!! Did you catch that too. How different is that from MOST of our Performance Management systems in place today! He equated the current system to the 'Santa Conversation'. I equated it to Santa's Naughty or Nice list and based on what the review says the employee either gets something or not. This was very thought provoking.

When Dr. Cappelli's time had ended I had a million thoughts running around in my head related to current processes and how different my organization could look if I implemented any one of these revolutionary business practices. Thanks Dr. Cappelli for a session that will stay with me long after I fly out of Phoenix and will ride with me to work on Thursday.

jamie

A Note of Thanks

I have had the fortunate ability to be surrounded with HR wisdom! I have been mentored and encouraged by some of the best in the field of Higher Education Human Resources. At times I have felt severely under-prepared and at other times overqualified for a job. One thought that has been pervasive today is the blessings and thankfulness I have for meeting so many great HR colleagues through CUPA-HR.

I had to deal with a very delicate matter on this Monday. If it were not for the guidance from great friends over the years and the loving support that I feel even when they are not present it could have ended badly. One of the hardest things I believe for the HR profession is the conversations that you have behind closed doors. The decisions that you have to trust in your gut are the right decisions for the organization regardless of how you personally feel about the situation. Rationalizing that the good of the organization often supersede the good of the employee. I have come to adore the Utilitarian principle and know that I will try my best to be an advocate for each employee while trying to create environments where the organization can flourish.

Today after having some very difficult conversations I received a small gift in the mail from my friends at the CUPA-HR national office. Each year the association holds a leadership retreat for its leaders. I have been fortunate to participate in the last 5 and they have been awesome. I have met some lifelong friends each July and have been fortunate enough to help mold this organization in a small way by dialogue and conversations at this event.

There are lots of professional organizations that are great. I have been a member of several but have never felt the congeniality or authenticity that I feel when I attend CUPA-HR events. From state chapters, regional events and/or national events each is tailored to make the HR professional in Higher Education feel appreciated, unique and informed. Higher Education is a very different field than typical corporate climates and as such requires some additional effort and care in tailoring each message so that the greatest benefit can come out of each conference, webinar, blog, salary study, or conversation.

Intentionality! That's the word that comes to my mind when I hear CUPA-HR. The National Office, National Board, Regional Boards and all the various levels of leadership guide this organization with Intentionality. CUPA-HR is led by peers! These peers are always ready to divulge any knowledge that they may have gleaned over their years and are ready to share that knowledge to whomever has questions. I have seen and been a recipient first hand of this effort.

As I end this day I hold my head high. This Monday may have started on rocky ground but I walk into Tuesday with knowledge that whatever comes my way I have comrades and friends that I can lean on and talk with and that's what makes CUPA-HR the best HR organization around!

Thank you CUPA-HR from one indebted HR Director.

jamie


My Life at ALP on PhotoPeach

2015: HR Predictions

As 2014 concluded I hurriedly read through article, magazine, blog, tweet and post related to where we landed in 2014 and where are we headed in 2015 related to Human Resources. I was particularly interested in where Higher Education HR is headed. I am not an expert and I don't play one on TV, but having been well read and in trying to maintain a pulse on current issues, I think I have a pretty good notion on what is going to be key issues this year.

What the FLSA and other DOL issues!

It would appear that the Department of Labor is gearing up for a busy year. President Obama is striving for a revision of the Fair Labor Standards Act Exemptions and in particular the 'white collar' exemptions. We could see some suggestions and changes come as early as this month, February. Most of the analysts taunt this as a huge financial burden for employers as it would mean a large group of individuals would be eligible for overtime. The key Act has not seen major revisions in decades so we are going to see some adjustments. Full implementation of changes may not occur in 2015 but the changes themselves will likely be inked this year. I don't know if it will be as detrimental as some believe but there will be some changes coming.

Another DOL issue that some states have embraced while making others cringe has been the increase in the minimum wage. I believe we shall see a bigger push for a new federal minimum wage increase this year but I have my hesitation whether it will be implemented this year or will be approved and incrementally implemented over several years. One thing for sure is that with more states moving forward with increases in their state minimum wage it will add fuel to the fire for an increase nationally.

In Higher Education news there will be more proliferation of the idea of student athletes as employees. We are also still grappling with pieces of the ACA as it relates to time-keeping for various groups on our campuses and whether we should offer benefits to these select groups of individuals.

DEI and other regulatory and compliance issues

We will see more issues rise related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as our workplaces acclimate to our societal norms. There are several cases in litigation dealing with sexual orientation, LGBTQ community, and whether it should be added into the non-discrimination policies. There are also some organizations that are dealing with the biases facing transgender employees. 2015 will have more discussion on the expansion of Title VII to include these issues under its umbrella. Harnessing an environment of inclusion and celebrating differences will be a key indicator of whether DEI policies are successful in the organization.

Issues related to pregnancy have also become a topic of conversation. We may see some expansion of ADA to include pregnancy. Another area of discrimination and compliance are issues surrounding nursing mothers on the job.

Although Wellness has been a buzz word for several years many will see some challenges in the way Wellness programs are implemented and utilized going forward. There is some concern that they are being used in a manner that can lead to inadvertent discrimination. This becomes especially indicative if their usage factors into healthcare incentives and costs for the employee as well as the employer. The EEOC will be giving some guidance and cautions in regards to their usage going forward.

Watch for 'Ban the Box' and other Background Investigations

We are going to see an increase in the campaign for 'Ban the Box' which is related to background investigations. If your current application asks questions related to previous criminal activity you may want to monitor this growing movement. Another background check that will gain traction in 2015 will be Social Media Background checks. As more and more organizations choose to review applicants social media pages the possible litigation related to discrimination will overflow.

Mr. T and all his friends!

Technology will have several issues that will make 2015 even more challenging for Human Resources. Here are just a few of the possible topics that will be gaining popularity:

1. Social Media Policies
• Over 75% of our workforce utilize social media personally according to the Pew Research Center. If your organization is not harnessing the potential benefits of social media you will be reaping a detrimental future. The idea of immediate feedback took a steroid pill and now our 'customers' can note their dissatisfaction or their satisfaction with the click of a 'like', or a 'post, tweet, blog, tag, etc.' Organizations MUST have a Social Media Policy. In higher education social media can aid in recruitment, retention, and almost every facet of Human Resources can be affected by social media usage.  
2. Work Cell Phone Usage
• 2015 will see more discussion on whether employers should be reimbursing employees for their cell phone usage that is work related. There have already been several court cases and this idea is growing. An extension of this idea would be that if an employee were utilizing their personal device for work related functions is that time compensable. I believe that the courts would say 'yes'. This will be a very murky area to regulate. I don't know if the courts will move in this direction for 2015 but I believe it will be fair game.
3. Organizational E-Mail: The E-Water Cooler
• With the recent Purple Communications court case the NLRB now sees corporate e-mail as an extension of everyday conversation. It is the electronic water cooler as we have utilized email as an extension of all conversations and not just work related topics. We will see how this moves in 2015 as it has just been decided and it was related primarily to union recruitment and discussion. I believe there will be a broader umbrella that will be opened beyond union issues going forward.
• Another issue related to email is the idea that many organizations are subject to open records requests that include electronic communication. It would be beneficial for HR officers to revisit the records retention policies as well as any email communication policies that are currently used. 
4. The Wearable Revolution
• The popularity of fitbit, jawbone, google glass, as well as other wearables will open a whole host of discussions this year. Wearable technology has the potential to provide employers with loads of data and employees with instant information without leaving their work environment. The ability to monitor employees remotely will give an employer a whole new strategic model. This can aid in productivity, customer service, and ultimately fiscal responsibility. There are several companies that are developing tools that can be used in the workplace related to wearables. One idea floated is that this could possibly be a way to track time for non-exempt employees without the need to 'clock-in' or 'clock-out'. Time would be logged based on their location. I think the wearables will be coming in force in 2015.
5. Big Data
• The idea of Big Data could be summed up with the word 'Predictable'. Big Data simply means that companies are able to take past behavior and extrapolate and predict future behavior. Organizations could begin using data analytics to replace employee reviews, predict employee behavior or create an archetype of the 'ideal' candidate for a job. I have some hesitation with using analytics in this manner. The concept of predictive analytics is big business and we will see its usage grow in 2015.
6. The Mobile Workplace
• The workplace model is headed into antiquity. Employees no longer work 9-5 and no longer have to be tethered to their desktop computers and offices to be productive. We have seen an increase in flexible work schedules and the concept of the mobile workplace makes the office as portable as the computer in hand. From an HR standpoint the employee no longer has to come to us. We can take HR to the department and to the employee and on any of our various mobile devices we can have the employee records, departmental requests, personnel action forms, HRIS system access, VPN into our desktop computer, etc, etc. The only limitation to creating a MORE mobile workplace are the antiquated policies that denote a brick and mortar office as the on-the-job location. In higher education we have already seen the movement away from this idea with the advent of online education and MOOCs. Employers are going to have to re-align their business model to meet the mobility of our technology.
7. The Internet of Things
• The IoT is the ability of everyday objects to connect to the internet and to send and receive data. Many of the items we interact with every day can now be accessed remotely and respond remotely. Many household appliances, and technology throughout our home has this ability. Our home security systems, our lighting controls, temperature controls and other common household items can now be controlled by a mobile application and mobile device. Experts estimate that in 2015 there will be 25 billion connected devices and within another 5 years, 50 billion. The interconnected pieces of our lives have quickly made technology paramount to living. The idea of being disconnected is quickly becoming a thing of the past. 
8. BYODilemma
• Most organizations allow employees to Bring Your Own Device. The current issues related to this tend to be: employee privacy, security of company assets, acceptable use, employee wage/hour issues, and what happens when the employee leaves the company. If your organization does not have a BYOD policy it would benefit you greatly to invest time and resources in developing this policy.
9. App-dicted
• We are a mobile application society. Most smart phones have hundreds of apps but the vast majority of them are downloaded and forgotten. 2015 will see an influx of mobile apps related to the wearable phenomenon. Another area within the apps world is mobile games. Games have become such a big part of our society that now many organizations look for ways of 'gamifying' any given topic. Another area of development for apps will be apps that control other things. This feeds into the IoT.
10. Data Security! or is it?
• We have all heard of the many data breaches that have occurred. Hackers are finding new and inventive ways to break into systems to steal consumer data. Here are some ideas to remember in 2015: all systems are vulnerable, email should not be considered private, laws differ from state to state and country to country as to the strictness of data security, insurance policies may not cover data lost in a data breach, employers may have liability even if they are the victim, employer's right to restrict employee's tech usage presents issues, all employers should add a data breach audit to their 2015 audits, crisis management should include data breaches. All organizations should limit their risk for data breaches by sound IT practices.
11. No Cash, No Card, No Problem... got phone!
• We are in the era of Mobile Pay. Consumers no longer need to carry payment in the form of cash, check or credit card. Many mobile applications have payment methods built in and with the advent of Apple Pay, and Google Wallet we will see the necessity for other forms of payment decline.
12. You are Here
• Geo-location is here to stay. We are going to see more targeted location-based ads. As noted above, the location technology can also be used in a variety of ways both for the consumer and as an employee/employer.

2015 is gearing up to be an interesting year for Human Resources. One way to stay in front of any impending issues is to stay informed. With organizations like SHRM and CUPA-HR leading the charge we can be assured to maintain sound knowledge rooted in research and best practices. I for one look forward to what this year holds for my employees. I think we have a chance to see some positive sweeping changes that will benefit the workplace for decades to come.

jamie